A LAST-MINUTE wildcard entry to Strictly Come Dancing wowed the judges during the first round of the show last night.

Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher, from Oldham, came top of the leaderboard in the first show of Strictly Come Dancing's new season.

The soap star, who plays Andy Sugden, was drafted in just before the show was due to air after contestant and Made In Chelsea man Jamie Laing injured his foot.

Host Tess Daly said Kelvin had been through a "whirlwind" two weeks of training ahead of the Strictly launch last night.

But the "crazy" and "intense" crash dance course did not stop Kelvin from putting on a show for the judges. Instead he impressed the panel with partner Oti Mabusi — the sister of brand new judge Motsi Mabusi.

The pair performed an "electrifying" samba, earning a huge score of eights across the board.

The score was the highest in the last five years of debut shows and was the first time stern judge Craig Revel Horwood has given a score above five on launch night.

Bruno Tonioli praised the couple, saying the samba was the best he had seen from opening shows around the world in his 15 years of judging.

Going into next week, the pair have a score of 32 and lead the pack of dancers in the results table.